Mold usable in process of forming a desired wall surface

ABSTRACT

Shape structure usable to form a desired wall surface includes a first region constructed for being attached to the wall; and a second region constructed for being located in an opening formed in the wall. The first region may be constructed as a flange and the second region as a body. The body may be constructed to form either a recess or protrusion when placed in the opening of the wall. The shape structure may also include a third region for fastening to the wall, and the wall may be a shower wall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/445,476, filed Feb. 5, 2003, and entitled “Process ofForming a Desired Wall Surface and Mold for Making Same”.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to devices and methods ofinterior building construction, and more particularly to a novel processof forming a desired wall surface and mold for making the same.

BACKGROUND

Conventional methods for attaching bathroom fixtures to bathroom wallsare relatively labor intensive. For example, to construct a recess in ashower wall for storing soap or shampoo, construction workers cut anopening in the wall and build a wood frame that defines the desiredrecess. The process of building the frame is time-consuming and addsunnecessary cost to the project. Further the frame building process canlead to irregularities in the ultimate recess of the shower wall becauseof the custom-nature of the operation. That conventional process iscompleted by building and finishing a recess (for example to be used asa shampoo/soap tray). A typical conventional process will take severalhours, whereas the to-be-described process of the invention can beaccomplished in several minutes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a mold feature of the invention andconstructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side-sectional view through line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side-sectional view of a wall that has beenmodified in accordance with the process feature of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, side-sectional view of a wall that has beenfurther modified relative to FIG. 3 in accordance with the processfeature of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, side-sectional view of a wall that has beenfurther modified relative to FIG. 3 in accordance with the processfeature of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a mold feature of the invention andconstructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a mold feature of the invention andconstructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view showing shower wall surfaces that haveformed according to the process of the invention, using the mold featureof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings generally, the shape structure (also referredto herein as a mold) is shown first, and its construction will bedescribed first below. Next, the pertinent sections and parts of thewall will be described. Finally, the process feature of the inventionwill complete the description.

FIG. 1 shows shape structure or mold 10 usable to form ato-be-described, desired wall surface. Mold 10 includes a first region12, which may be a flange, constructed for being attached to ato-be-described wall, and a second region 14, which may also be thoughtof as a body, constructed for being located in an opening formed in thatwall. As will be better understood in connection with the processdescription below, body 14 is constructed to form either a recess or aprotrusion when placed in the opening of that wall.

Turning ahead to FIG. 5, flange 12 is constructed for being attached toa wall 16 and body 14 is constructed for being located in an opening 18formed in wall 16. Wall 16 is depicted in the drawings as a shower wallof a shower located in a residential house (undepicted). Referring toFIGS. 3-5, the interior of that shower wall is to the right in thedrawings, and the exterior of that shower wall (the surface facing theouter structure of the house) is to the left in the drawings. Mold 10also includes a third region 20 for fastening to wall 16. Third region20 is shown in the form of openings that allow a screws 22 (or othersuitable fasteners) to pass through, ultimately to fasten mold 10 towall surface 16.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5 collectively, preliminary wall 16 is modified bysuitable means such as cutting to form an opening 18. Cross-members 24are located between wall 16 and the exterior structure of the house(undepicted) to provide support for the opening and ultimately forcorresponding parts of mold 10. Referring to FIGS. 4-5, one way tofinish the surface of wall 16 is shown by existence of a wire-mesh layer(FIG. 4) to which is applied a plaster or other suitable material 28(FIG. 5). Finally, the outer surface is finished with a coating 30 thatmay take the form of ceramic tile, paint, or other suitable coatingmaterial. As an alternative to the wire-mesh and plaster combination,so-called cement backer board may be used.

Referring to FIGS. 6-7, mold 10 may be formed in any desired shape. InFIG. 6, mold 110 is formed to be oriented as a protrusion in a wallsurface. In FIG. 7, mold 210 is formed as a particular protrusion thatextends outward of the wall so that it can be utilized as a bench in ashower (such as a square). The flange of the mold, such as flanges 114,214 in FIGS. 6-7 may be thought of as relatively large and relativelythin to optimize their use in attaching the mold to a preliminary wall16. Wall 16 may also be thought of as drywall.

Referring to FIG. 8, a shower 32 is shown with walls 34, a nozzle 36 anda drain 38. Various embodiments of the invention are shown includingrecess 10, protrusions/shelves 110 and protrusion/bench 210. Oneapplication of the process of the invention is to form either recessesor protrusions. The protrusions may be thought of as working surfaces(such as bench 210 shown in FIG. 8) in a shower. For example, theinventions can be used to form recess 10 that extends into the showerwall, and has a desired shape (such as the square or rectangular shapeof mold 10, and at a minimum having a lower flat surface, for holdingsoap or shampoo). The invention can also be used to form shapes thatextend inwardly toward the shower cavity, thus forming protrusions thatcan be used as shower bench 210 of FIG. 8, shelf 110 of FIG. 8, for adecorative and distinctive look (as shown by bench 210 and shelves 110,or other desired purposes.

Turning now to the process of the invention, that feature includes aprocess of forming a desired wall surface, that includes the steps offorming an opening 18 in a preliminary wall (such as wall 16 formed asdrywall), fastening shape structure (also referred to as mold) 10 withinthe opening, and finishing mold 10 and preliminary wall 16 to achievethe desired wall surface. The fastening step includes the substeps oflocating the mold within the opening, and attaching a region (flange 12)of the mold structure to preliminary wall 16. As noted above, wall 16 isa preliminary wall of an interior building. The forming step may be doneby cutting opening 18 in preliminary wall 16 using any suitable meanssuch as a saw. The fastening step may also include choosing mold 10ultimately to form a recess in the desired wall surface (see mold 10 inFIG. 8), or to form a protrusion (see shelves 110 and bench 210) in thedesired wall surface.

Another way to describe process of the invention is as a process offorming a desired wall surface that includes the steps of forming anopening in a preliminary wall that has an interior surface, selecting amold with a first and second region and a first surface, locating thefirst region adjacent the opening, fastening the first region of mold tothe wall; and finishing the surface of the mold and the surface of thepreliminary wall. These steps have been described in connection withFIGS. 1-5 above.

The process also includes the step of sealing the first region of themold relative to the wall. Sealing can be accomplished with any suitablewater-proofing material such as a silicone sealant which is appliedbetween flange 12 and wall 16, and also applied over the interfacebetween flange 12 and wall 16. The ultimate step of finishing wall 16and recess 10 may be accomplished by the wire-mesh/plaster methoddescribed above in connection with FIGS. 4-5, by applying ceramic tile,or by using a suitable coating material such as painting.

The Process feature of the invention may also be described as follows:An opening is formed in a preliminary wall surface such as drywall.Next, the a flanged container formed in a desired shape (such as asquare box) is attached to the drywall. Next, there is the step ofapplying a finished wall surface over the flange section of thecontainer.

Put another way, the process includes the following steps:

1. form opening in the wall by cutting or some other suitable fit;

2. apply sealant or caulk to flange region of mold so that the openingin the wall is sealed against water leakage;

3. fasten the flange edge of mold to wall with suitable fasteners suchas screws;

4. apply or form a suitable substrate, if desired, of the flange(suitable substrates may include lathe and plaster or cement, otherwiseknown as cement backer board);

5. if a suitable substrate is not desired, then finish the outer surfacewith tile, paint, or other finish coatings; and

6. if a substrate is used, a finished surface such as ceramic tile orother suitable materials can be applied over the substrate and over theremaining surface of the mold.

Put yet another way, the invention may be thought of as a water-proofsubstrate of molded plastic to be covered with tile or other finishingmaterial. Summarizing the above process, the mold is fastened to a wallsurface (e.g. drywall). The flange region of the mold is sealed so thatmoisture cannot pass through the barrier where the mold is attached tothe wall surface, and then the mold is fastened to the surface.

While various alternative embodiments and arrangements of the processand mold of the invention have been shown and described above, numerousother embodiments, arrangements, and modifications are possible and arewithin the scope of the invention. The foregoing description includesall novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, andclaims may be presented in this or a later application(s) to any noveland non-obvious combination of these elements. The foregoing embodimentsare illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to allpossible combinations that may be claimed in this or a laterapplication.

1. Shape structure usable to form a desired wall surface, comprising: afirst region constructed for being attached to a wall; and a secondregion constructed for being located in an opening formed in the wall.2. The shape structure of claim 1, wherein the first region isconstructed as a flange.
 3. The shape structure of claim 1, wherein thesecond region in constructed as a body.
 4. The shape structure of claim2, wherein the second region in constructed as a body.
 5. The shapestructure of claim 3, wherein the body is constructed to form a recesswhen placed in the opening of the wall.
 6. The shape structure of claim4, wherein the body is constructed to form a recess when placed in theopening of the wall.
 7. The shape structure of claim 3, wherein the bodyis constructed to form a protrusion when placed in the opening of thewall.
 8. The shape structure of claim 4, wherein the body is constructedto form a protrusion when placed in the opening of the wall.
 9. Theshape structure of claim 1, wherein the first region is constructed forbeing attached to a shower wall, and the second region is constructedfor being located in an opening formed in the shower wall.
 10. The shapestructure of claim 1, further including a third region for fastening tothe wall.
 11. A mold usable to form a desired shower wall surface,comprising: a first region constructed for being attached to the showerwall; and a second region constructed for being located in an openingformed in the shower wall.
 12. The mold of claim 11, wherein the firstregion is a flange and the second region is a body.
 13. The mold ofclaim 11, further including a fastening region for fastening to theshower wall.